The present invention relates to displaying information on remote computers and, in particular, to a system and method for combining display data received from various remote sources into a single, local display.
Client-server systems, in which a user of a client node is typically remote from a server which provides application processing or access to files and other resources, are both convenient and cost-effective. Client nodes are generally cheaper than servers, and since one server typically provides services to more than one client, overall system cost is reduced. Additionally, client-server systems allow an enterprise to make decisions regarding the location of certain system resources (such as applications) on a situational basis. For example, certain applications may be resident solely on clients, solely on servers, solely on certain servers, or any combination of the above which improves the overall efficiency of the system.
To date, however, efforts to combine output data from various sources into a single display have not met with success. For example, early attempts have been made to cause server-based applications to write directly into local windows. Although this method can display application output from various servers on a single display, it lacks the ability to arrange the windows on the client responsive to the z-axis ordering of the windows at each individual server. Thus, if a server brings a new window to the top of its desktop, no corresponding change appears to the user at the client.
Further, systems typically cannot support combining various sources of data into a single display without modification of the applications generating output data. This results because most enterprises desire to use off-the-shelf software to generate output data and such software does not support combination of output data. This represents a practical problem because re-writing such applications to support output combination is generally prohibited by the manufacturer of such software and, even if not prohibited, can be expensive.
The present invention relates to a system in which multiple data displays can be represented as a cohesive, single, unitary display, without intervention on the part of the user and without requiring modification of the applications generating displayed output data. The system allows a user to interact with displayed windows without knowledge of the source of those windows, and changes to the window, either locally or remotely, are reflected in the corresponding display on the server or client.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system for incorporating windows from remote desktop environments into a local desktop environment. The system includes a local node, a local agent, a first remote node, and a first remote agent. The first remote node provides a first remote desktop environment, and the first remote agent monitors the first remote desktop environment for changes in the environment. The first remote node transmits messages to the local agent indicative of changes in the first remote desktop environment. The local agent receives the transmitted messages and commands the local node to modify a representation of a first remote window that is part of a local desktop environment. The local agent also monitors the local desktop and transmits messages to the remote agent indicative of a change in the local desktop. In some embodiments, the local node provides the local desktop environment.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for incorporating windows from remote desktop environments into a local desktop environment. The method comprises the steps of: providing a local node hosting a local agent; receiving, by the local agent, a message indicating a change to windows included in a remote desktop environment; commanding, by the local agent, the local node to effect a corresponding change in the local desktop environment; monitoring, by the local agent, the local desktop; and transmitting, by the local node, messages to the remote node indicative of a change in the local desktop environment. The method may be embodied on an article of manufacture.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to an agent which incorporates windows from remote desktop environments into a local desktop environment. The agent includes a message receiving process capable of receiving messages indicating a change has occurred in a remote desktop environment. A command process effects changes to the local desktop environment responsive to messages received by the message receiving process. A monitor process monitors local desktop events. A transmission process transmits messages indicating occurrence of the local desktop event. The agent may be embodied on an article of manufacture.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a system for incorporating windows from a remote desktop into a local desktop. The system comprises a local node and a remote node connected by a communications link. The communications link includes a first virtual channel and a second virtual channel. The nodes exchange desktop information such as window position, window size, and Bordering of desktop windows, over the first virtual channel. The nodes exchange graphical information over the second virtual channel. In some embodiments, the first virtual channel and the second channel may be provided as a single virtual channel.